About

Aims

By end of 2014, 59.5 million individuals were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, generalised violence, or human rights violations. In 2015 more than 1,000,000 people arrived in Europe by sea and land.

In the same year more than 3,000 migrants and refugees died at sea whilst trying to reach Europe. The numbers of people rescued at sea have been increasing dramatically on a daily basis, with around 6,771 people rescued within two days in May 2015. During the first two months of 2016 more than 100,000 migrants arrived in Europe.

This proposal focuses on developing a knowledge hub (KHub) for nurses and other health professionals and volunteers who are dealing with or will be dealing with migrants and refugees from the current massive waves of displaced people which are reaching Europe and who are experiencing massive traumas and tragedies in their endeavours to flee to a safe and ‘better’ place for themselves and their families.

Objectives

To develop the health workers’ competencies in providing emotional/psychological support in culturally competent and compassionate ways, to individuals who are part of the new waves of migration primarily from Syria, Irag and Afganistan who arrive in Greece through Turkey.

To help health workers and volunteers to develop personal/peer strategies to cope with the high levels of their own personal traumas as a result of what they encounter whilst doing their job.

To develop resources on open access for health workers, undergraduate and post graduate students who can use for research projects, and other learning related to the emotional/psychological needs of migrants, refugees, health workers in the front line of service provision.

To create a network, a place where members of various communities can come together to discuss, comment, brainstorm, share views and good practices, share experiences, innovate, create, connect and collaborate.